The Wire: Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10, 2008

Here’s a look at the players to target on your league’s waiver wire this week. This list is ordered by the percentage of ESPN leagues in which the player is available; even if you’re not a ESPN user, it’s a decent indication of how likely you are to find the player on waivers in your league. We also note here how strongly we feel about this pickup with three categories: Instant Starter, Grab ‘n’ Stash, or Desperation Pickup.

Sage Rosenfels, QB, Texans (1.3% owned, Instant Starter) – It looks like starter Matt Schaub will be out for at least a month, so if you were counting on him to lead you to the fantasy football playoffs, you might want to rethink your strategy. Rosenfels will fill in for Schaub in the meantime and while he’s prone to turn the ball over every once in a while, he’ll still put up decent fantasy stats for your team in this pass-happy offense.

Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs (8.6% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – With Larry Johnson already out, the Chiefs also lost backup Kolby Smith for the season with a knee injury. This means that Mr. Charles and his 106 yard effort on Sunday will be the starter for the rest of the season (or until he also gets hurt.) He still plays for the Chiefs though, so I wouldn’t be too eager to jam him into your lineup right away!

Brady Quinn, QB, Browns (9.9% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – It’s finally the Brady Quinn era in Cleveland…something fans have been waiting a long time to see. Derek Anderson wasn’t playing all that bad on Sunday either…he just couldn’t figure out how to score points when the team needed it (maybe he should blame the defense who couldn’t stop the Ravens to save their lives!) Quinn steps into the driver’s seat of what could potentially be a pretty high powered offense, but we’ll have to wait and see how he can perform right out of the on-deck circle. He’s an ideal pick-up for those in a keeper league though!

Kevin Boss, TE, Giants (24.2% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – While he still isn’t getting enough receptions to make me all that comfortable, he does have a touchdown in the past two games, so Eli is definitely looking his way when the team is in the red-zone. If you’re looking for a bye-week fill-in at tight end, you could do worse than plugging in Boss and hoping for a touchdown.

Greg Camarillo, WR, Dolphins (29.9% owned, Instant Starter) – Camarillo continues to be the most consistent receiver on the ‘Fins and he had his best game this Sunday when he caught 11 balls for 111 yards. On most days, he’s good for six receptions and 60 or so yards, so if you’re just looking for a safe receiver to plug into your WR3 spot, Greg might be your man.

Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints (30.0% owned, Desperation Pickup) – Coming off the bye week, it still appears that Reggie Bush will be out for a few weeks, so Thomas should get ample opportunities to show his stuff this weekend. I’m not exactly sure how to categorize him this week, as this is probably his best opportunity to play well, but we just don’t know what we’re going to get. I’ve put him as a desperation pickup for now, but he could be upgraded depending on his performance.

Ray Rice, RB, Ravens (30.6% owned, Instant Starter) – Is there any rhyme or reason to which Ravens running back will have a big game on any given week? I guess one of them is always hurt or something, but no matter the explanation, it appears that Rice will get the start this weekend after a huge performance this past Sunday.

Ryan Torain, RB, Broncos (31.6% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – Although I don’t believe in all the hype that is surrounding Torain, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt that he is better than the three carries for one yard performance he put up on Sunday. Denver will continue to be a pass-first team, but with Michael Pittman and Andre Hall out for the season, Torain should get the start this weekend. I wouldn’t advise you start him unless you are a big time gambler.

Nate Washington, WR, Steelers (34.8% owned, Desperation Pickup) – Even if Ben Roethlisberger is forced to miss some time, it appears that backup Byron Leftwich is just as keen on throwing Washington the deep ball, as displayed by the 50 yard pass to start the second half of last night’s game. He won’t catch a lot of balls, but he makes the most of those that he does.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, RB, Patriots (42.1% owned, Desperation Pickup) – While he has a touchdown in three straight games, the reality is that he’s only seeing playing time because LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris are sidelined with injuries. You can feel free to start him as a RB2 or flex play until it’s declared that those guys are healthy enough to return to the field.

Cedric Benson, RB, Bengals (44.1% owned, Grab ‘n’ Stash) – The only reason Benson, who broke the century mark this weekend, is not an instant starter is because his team is on a bye this week. If you have room on your bench, scoop up Cedric, who should be the starter for the team for the rest of the season and should have a few decent games left in him.

Kevin Faulk, RB, Patriots (49.1% owned, Desperation Pickup) – Same as with Green-Ellis, Faulk makes a decent play as long as Jordan and Morris are out. I wouldn’t pick him up with the intent on starting him come playoffs time, but he can make a bye week or injury fill-in if necessary.

Ted Ginn, Jr., WR, Dolphins (51.7% owned, Desperation Pickup) – After a huge performance in week eight, Ginn saw a lot more coverage than usual and didn’t put up great numbers on Sunday. He’ll continue to be watched closely by opposing secondaries, but he should get enough looks each week to have the potential to break a big one and help your team. If you’re in a keeper league, Ginn should already be on a team, and if not, put him on yours.

Kevin Curtis, WR, Eagles (59.4% owned, Instant Starter) – Curtis is back and seems to be in good health, so now it’s just a matter of getting back on the same page as Donovan McNabb. I expect his numbers to slowly get better over the course of the season and he should be there to help your team when the fantasy football playoffs arrive.

Derrick Mason, WR, Ravens (61.0% owned, Instant Starter) – Minus a terrible week eight performance, Mason has been the model of consistency for the Ravens. This weekend he blew up for 136 yards and a touchdown and while I wouldn’t expect that each week, you can expect to see him catch 6-8 balls a game and find the end-zone here and there. With quarterback Joe Flacco improving, Mason should make for a decent WR3 play the rest of the way out.

Waiver wire DEFENSES of the week: Jacksonville (@ DET), Miami (vs SEA), New England (vs BUF) or New York Jets (vs STL)

Waiver wire KICKERS of the week: Joe Nedney (@ ARI), Rian Lindell (@ NE), Dan Carpenter (vs SEA) or Josh Scobee (@ DET)